ODU shakes off sluggish start, bounces Marshall 70-63

NORFOLK — Jeff Jones is a selectively fiery speaker, and Old Dominion's desultory first half Thursday prompted him to reach into his gullet for some choice words.

After he peeled paint and challenged his players in the locker room at halftime, the Monarchs responded with a 70-63 win against Marshall at the Constant Center that continued their march toward upper-tier status in Conference USA and overall respectability.

"You couldn't print anything that I said," Jones said. "I was angry. I just challenged the guys. I wanted them to play the way they are capable of playing. The good thing is they responded. The bad thing is I had to resort to that."

Old Dominion (14-15, 8-6 C-USA) won consecutive games for the first time since mid-January and clinched a top-nine spot that earns a first-round bye in next month's conference tournament.

The Monarchs followed a 25-point first half with a 45-point second half in which they shot 61 percent from the field, made 11 of 14 free throws, and defended and rebounded effectively.

"From start to finish, we were better," Jones said. "Now, I think it all starts with more energy, going out and being aggressive as opposed to reacting. I thought Marshall was the aggressor throughout the first half.

"I don't know why we were so sluggish in the first half, but in the second half our activity level, our energy level was much, much higher. I think everything else at both ends of the floor, everything else kind of spawned from that."

Aaron Bacote led with 17 of his 22 points in the second half, but it was Richard Ross who jump-started the Monarchs. The springy 6-foot-6 junior finished with 19 points, on 8-for-10 shooting, along with 10 rebounds and three blocks.

"I will say that (Ross) was the guy that from start to finish was active," Jones allowed. "He was bouncing around in the first half, and finally we got other guys to go with him in the second half. Obviously we needed it."

Ross was a matchup nightmare for Marshall, driving around bigger defenders and using his athletic ability to either finish at the rim or draw fouls.

"I don't know if it's necessarily aggression," Ross said of his approach. "I think it has more to do with trying to be ready and when the opportunity presents itself to try to take advantage of it."

The Monarchs led 40-37 almost seven minutes into the second half when a Ross dunk started a surge. ODU went on a 16-5 run that opened a 56-42 lead with 7:05 remaining. ODU rebounded and attacked the rim, making Marshall pay for not getting back on defense or rotating to help when someone penetrated its zone defense.

Marshall (9-20, 3-11 C-USA) lost for the sixth time in seven games. All of its losses were by eight points or less, including three buzzer beaters, though a late push made the final score Thursday closer than the game felt in the second half.

ODU clinched a first-round tournament bye and remains among the top teams in Division I in one-season turnarounds — from 5-25 a year ago to just one game under .500 and the potential of a winning conference record.

"I don't want to dwell on those things, but we're playing for something," Jones said. "We want to savor it. These are things that are possibilities if we take care of our business."